Kathy & I spent a night at this motel on the “strip” in Tucumcari, New Mexico. A town with a long history as one of the highlights of Route 66, Tucumcari is struggling a bit these days, although a few of the classic hotels appear to be doing a remarkable job of hanging on. The Motel Safari is one example of those classic hotels. I’ll have more to say regarding our Route 66 experience, but suffice it to say that we would not hesitate to return to this motel.
While in Albuquerque, Kathy & I rode the Sandia Peak Tramway to the top of the mountain for lunch at 10,378 feet! That’s high! The tram ride was fun and the views fantastic. Lunch was very good, too! 😉
We were there…had to do it. 🙂
This park is on the same loop road as Wupatki – interesting that two distinctly diverse parks can be located within a few miles of each other. Sunset Crater was formed as a result of a volcanic eruption that occurred around AD 1085.
The Wupatki National Monument is located in north-central Arizona near Flagstaff and is rich in Native American archaeological sites. The ruins of several pueblos are located there and open for visitation. For us it was another off-the-beaten path place with interesting sights.
We were able to get tickets for a daytime walking tour of the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff. Highlights of our visit included looking at the sun through a solar telescope and visiting the building that houses the “Pluto Discovery Telescope.” I think I want to be an astronomer when I grow up. 🙂
Interesting story about the boxing glove. It was put there by a maintenance guy who kept hitting his head on the end of the counterweight.
Kathy & I visited this amazing place on Monday…words cannot do it justice. We did the westbound shuttle, catching most of the overlooks out to Hermit’s Rest. After lunch at the El Tovar (incomparable!) we drove out to Desert View and The Watchtower before returning to our humble accommodations in Williams.
We started off our Route 66 adventure on Sunday with dinner at “Mr. D’z Route 66 Diner.” Homemade Root Beer and excellent burgers!
We passed through this town on our way to Kingman, AZ for the start of our Route 66 journey. One photo doesn’t do it justice! 🙂
We decided we couldn’t come all the way out here and not to at least a few “big name” places. We visited Hoover Dam and took a boat cruise on Lake Mead. Quite a beautiful area! Hot and windy here but a nice cloud cover made for pretty decent photography. I took a few photos! On toward Route 66 tomorrow and the Grand Canyon on Monday.